Hagrid's Funeral
by naikatakari
Summary: A very brief description of Rubeus Hagrid's funeral. One-shot, Next Gen.


**Everything belongs to Queen Rowling, I'm making no money off this.**

**It broke my heart to write this, but here's how I imagine Hagrid's funeral. Hope you enjoy it :)**

Rubeus Hagrid's funeral took place on a tepid summer morning sometime in the middle of August. Although he had been old, he had been full of life and his death had come as a shock to all who had known him. He had never retired, remaining the Care of Magical Creatures teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry up until the end of the most recent term, although his duties as groundskeeper were eventually taken over by a younger, livelier man.

The funeral was held in the Hogwarts grounds, the same place Albus Dumbledore's had been twenty-two long years ago. Rows and rows of seats were set up, the ones in the front row occupied by Harry Potter and his close friends and family, with his little brother Grawp sitting sorrowfully on the ground at the end of the row. It was a respectable affair, attended by many influential witches and wizards. Harry Potter gave the eulogy after the vicar had spoken.

'Hagrid was the one who told me I was a wizard when I was eleven years old,' he said, staring into space with glazed eyes. 'He gave me my Hogwarts letter and took me to Diagon Alley, and for the next six years of my education, I only had to walk down to his hut,' he gestured vaguely in its direction as he spoke, 'whenever I needed him. I didn't realise it at the time, but he'd become like a father to me. And for the rest of my life after Hogwarts, he remained a father to me, and a grandfather to my children. That's who Hagrid was – a father figure. He had the capability to love anyone, or any_thing_,' he smiled sadly, 'at all. Acromantula, baby dragons, Blast-Ended Skrewts…Hagrid was able to love that which others feared, because he understood that everyone needs to be loved. He was the first person I ever remember loving me. And I'll always love him.' Not bothering to wipe the tears streaming from his eyes, Harry looked up at the sky where a Thestral, invisible to most of the mourners, soared above them. Under his breath, he whispered: 'goodbye, Hagrid.'

As Harry returned to his seat, a herd of centaurs standing in the shadows of the Forbidden Forest shot their arrows concurrently over the lake, where they soared like freed birds before dipping down into the glass-like water, and then galloped away.

The oaken coffin was colossal, decorated in beautiful carvings of magical beasts like Thestrals and a rearing Hippogriff, as well as a cluster of Blast-Ended Skrewts that some of his past pupils looked upon with a rueful smile. It was so large that the only one able to carry it was Grawp, who cradled it in his arms like a newborn baby before lowering it into the enormous grave. It had been dug in the shade of the outermost trees of the Forbidden Forest, which everyone agreed he would have wanted. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville and Luna all tossed handfuls of dirt into the cavity before it was filled up. Small stones hidden in the dirt clattered onto the surface of the coffin like rain on a tin roof at first, but then the sound became muffled until the ground was smooth again, with nothing but a grey headstone erected with magic to say someone was buried there. The words were engraved in informal, straight writing:

_Rubeus Hagrid_

_1928-2019_

_His spirit will never be forgotten_

It was a simple grave, apart from the Hippogriff carved carefully onto the top right corner. Looking just like Buckbeak, Hagrid's long-dead pet, it was almost unearthly and added an ethereal sort of beauty to an otherwise minimal grave.

It was perfect.

That night, when the grounds were empty once more, an entirely different crowd of mourners came along to pay their respects. Among the varied crowd of creatures were Thestrals, a couple of Hippogriffs, and even some Acromantula from the very heart of the forest. They stood before the grave in solemn silence, as the surface of the Black Lake rippled to announce the arrival of creatures such as mermaids and the giant squid. And soaring over them all was a phoenix, its feather's glowing fiery reds and golds in the darkness. As they stood there, it began to sing, filling the air with sorrowful, grief-stricken, beautiful music. It wasn't until the final note had wavered into silence and the phoenix had soared away into the night that the creatures left as one, without making a sound.

**Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know if you liked it, or where I went wrong. Thanks! ~K x**


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